Southern Roots & Modern Moves: Consolidating Student Experiences at Augusta University
Southern Roots & Modern Moves: Consolidating Student Experiences at Augusta University
Quick Summary:
Augusta University, a leading public health sciences and medical research institution, faced challenges with dozens of disconnected systems and apps, making it difficult for students to navigate their digital experience and creating administrative burdens.
To address this, Augusta University partnered with Pathify to launch “myAugusta,” a unified platform designed to consolidate student experiences across web and mobile, replacing a patchwork of systems including a custom-built portal, homegrown intranet, and separate mobile app.
The “myAugusta” platform has streamlined access with a single login, integrated a GenAI Chatbot, and become a central hub for campus communication, leading to substantial improvements in efficiency, user experience, and cost savings by consolidating four standalone systems.
As Georgia’s preeminent public health sciences and medical research institution, Augusta University proudly educates the next generation of healthcare leaders, innovators and changemakers. But supporting future visionaries takes more than high-caliber academics — it requires a complementary digital experience built to be just as forward-thinking.
Over time, the university accumulated dozens of disconnected systems and apps, making it arduous for students to find what they needed and causing headaches for backend administrators. The issue wasn’t a lack of technology — it was too much of it.
Cathleen Caldwell, Augusta’s Assistant Vice President of Web & IT Customer Experience; Davin Miller, Director of Web & Digital Services; and Aenea Clark, Digital Operations Coordinator, decided to take a different approach — not just replacing tools but rethinking the entire digital experience. With Pathify, they launched “myAugusta,” a unified platform bringing everything together across web and mobile.
Disrupting the Digital Disconnect
For years, Augusta managed a patchwork of systems — a custom-built portal, homegrown intranet and separate mobile app — each demanding separate upkeep, integration and workflows. Though technically functional, the ecosystem fell short of being future-ready. “We built it all ourselves,” recalled Miller. “But the integrations were incredibly tough to maintain, making it difficult to deliver the connected experience our campus needed.”
Efforts to streamline the experience using existing platforms, mobile apps and chatbots proved equally limiting. “We had a grand vision of a completely integrated ecosystem, but the mix of tools made it impossible,” Miller explained. “Managing everything separately became overwhelming.”
When Augusta’s executive leaders introduced the team to the Engagement Hub, Miller called it a “no-brainer from an integration and consolidation perspective.” Pathify’s pre-built integrations and web/mobile parity “removed a huge burden from IT and provided the flexibility and freedom to build and modify on top of a strong foundation,” he remarked. The launch of “myAugusta” in 2024 marked a key milestone — a true digital “front door” with a consistent presentation layer.
One Platform, All Access
The university set a bold goal — deliver an integrated and uncluttered experience for every user, on any journey. For Digital Operations Coordinator Aenea Clark, the challenge extended beyond technical hurdles to creating consistent experiences and communications across the entire university environment. “Before, mobile and web were completely separate,” she shared, recalling separate updates, content management, UI. “‘myAugusta’ brings everything together — whether students access it from a laptop or cell phone.”
By retiring their separate mobile app, Augusta streamlined access to one login, one platform, one place for everything students need. “We support a diverse student body ranging across many disciplines, programs, campuses,” Clark added. “We needed a flexible, mobile-responsive environment to meet those needs.”
Consolidation with Purpose
That same mindset sparked another major shift — bringing Augusta’s campus chatbot into the fold. Previously powered by a third-party provider, the bot required constant upkeep and workflow management. “We built out the flows and handled content routing manually,” said Clark. With Pathify’s GenAI Chatbot integrated directly into “myAugusta,” intelligent, instant support lives where students spend their time — no extra apps, logins, or browser tabs. “Now, students ask about grades, financial aid or deadlines right inside ‘myAugusta,’” she explained. “It’s fast, personalized and seamless.”
Behind the scenes, the shift brought welcome simplicity. “We eliminated another third-party vendor, reduced complexity and freed up our team to focus on optimizing one platform,” Miller said. “No more managing duplicate tools — we’re delivering a more cohesive experience for all campus users.”
Augusta continues evaluating the impact of its consolidation efforts, with early indicators pointing to substantial improvements in efficiency, user experience and cost savings. To date, the university consolidated four standalone systems into Pathify, simplifying its tech stack.
Campus Communication
With consolidation efforts well underway, “myAugusta” quickly proved its value beyond just a student portal — becoming the heartbeat of campus communication. “More departments see ‘myAugusta’ as the central hub for announcements and notifications,” AVP of IT Customer Experience Caldwell said. “We’re now collaborating closely with Student Life and Engagement to streamline all campus messages through the platform.”
The centralization extends to critical moments, too. “We’re aligning with our emergency preparedness team to make ‘myAugusta’ integral to our critical communication strategy,” Clark noted. “It’s becoming a crucial part of keeping our campus informed and safe.” Added Caldwell, “We love how Pathify allows us to pull in content but also controls what’s seen, what’s prioritized, who sees what.”
Built for Growth
Augusta’s transformation highlights the power of a unified digital experience — where every journey starts in one place. Whether navigating financial aid, courses, connecting with advisors or finding key campus services, students begin with “myAugusta.”
“Pathify creates one digital space where everyone feels like they belong,” Clark said. For a university committed to excellence, “myAugusta” offers the flexibility to grow and adapt, ensuring the digital experience keeps pace with the university’s vision. And, in a time where many institutions accept digital sprawl as inevitable, Augusta took a different path — responding with action to create a modern, seamless, supportive digital experience built to truly support students.
About Augusta University:
Located in the historic city for which it is named and on regional campuses across the state, Augusta University is Georgia’s preeminent public health sciences and medical research university, home of the state’s Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center, and one of the country’s top universities for student success. With over 150 areas of study across bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs and certificate offerings, the university’s multi-disciplinary research enterprise and corporate, community and government partnerships propel frontier-expanding discovery and real-world solutions. Learn more at augusta.edu.
